West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1887-12-01
A TRAINS SPEEDY TRIP.
POSTS DARING RUN TO
SAVE A MANS NECK.
Dashing over Rough Track at
Lightning Spced-A Lynching
that was Only POSTPONED

Lightning Spced-A Lynching
that was Only Postponed.
Zone of the best and withal the most
daring engineers on the Union Pacific
was, and still is, Fred Post OF Cheyenne, {"
said one OF the Rocky Mountain dele.
| gates TO the convention OF the Brother
hood. "When Post is on an engine he
doesn't seem to know what fear is. lie
has had passenger engines dozens of
times, but it wouldn't be long before he
would make some reckless run, just for
the daring of the thing, and then he
would be sent back TO freight run
again. 1t seems to be almost impossible
for him to run on schedule time-he
isn't happy unless he can let her out for
every revolution there is in her One of
his fash runs was from Cheyenne to
Greeley, Colorado, and over 10
Fort Collins, and then back again
to Cheyenne. A special was made up in
! Cheyenne to go over to Fort Collins after
n murderer named Moshler. Post was
ordered to take old 400,' the fastest en-.
CINE on the road, and way car was at
tached for the party of officers. Among
the passengers were Sheriff Sharpless,
several deputy shcriffs, some newspaper
men, few prominent citizens, and Mr..
| Deuel., the superintendent of the road
! The train had the right of way, and
everything was ordered on the side
tracks until the special passed. You see,
the case was an important one, and, as it
resulted in one of the most famous lynch
Ings ever known in the far West, is worth
telling.
1.-The man Moshier was a low lived
assassin who had shot several people He
was tramping over the lonely trail be-
tween Cheyenne and the Black Hills one
day when he met freighter, who picked
him up and fed him and let him ride to
Cheyenne. The freighter also had
passenger in young man who had lived
near Fort Laramie, and who was on his
way to his former home in Iowa. The
outfit consisted of big prairie schooner,
n trail wagon, and sixteen mules. When
the end of the journey was reached the
party camped on the prairie, about three
miles from Cheyenne, aud near the Gov
eminent post of Fort Russell. The
! freighter intended to come into town
early the next morning, load the wagons
with goods for the Black Hills, and come
back in the evening to the same camping
! ground. The mules were turned out 10
! Craze on the rich upland grass, and, rs
the night was threatening, all three men
! spread their blankets in one of the big
wagons. During the night Moshier get
up, and, taking an axe, struck the sleep,
ing freighter a blow on the head. Sup
| posing he had killed him, he next
struck the passenger, fracturng his skull.
But the man raised up, and, wounded as
he was, grappled with the murderer, took
the axe away from him and threw it out
of the wagon. Moshier then shot the
man three times. A soldier at the post
! going out on n duck hunt passed not fan
from the wagons and heard the shooting
| Returning to the post he obtained as
sistance, and an investigation resulted in
finding the bodies of the two men, but
Moshier had fed. The freighter was
unconscious, but the passenger, although
mortally wounded, was able to make a
! dying statement to an Episcopal clergy
man and TO the prosecuting attorney
| Unfortunately, he didn't know Moshier's
name. He died that afternoon. 1t can't
out that the murderer intended to kill
his bencsactor and his fellow passenger
dump their bodies into one of the
wagons, hook up the mules, and drive
! off with the whole outfit. At night he
would bury the bodies, build big camT
! fire over their graves to hide the spot
and take the wagons and mules to some
! part of the country where he could sci
the outfit, which was worth about SD, 00O.
"The people were indignant over the
dastardly crime, and the other freighteri
were wild with anger. Big rewards wcr,
| offered by the Territory and by priv ate
citizens, and hundreds of men galloped
over the country in search of the muir
derer. Three days afterward, and much
to the surprise of everybody, the freightcl
/ rcgained consciousness. He told who the
murderer was, and then many people
knew the man they were pursuing
Several days after he was captured by
! Sweeney, of Fort Collins, Colorado.
The Sheriff of Cheyenne feared
! lynching, and so special train was
secretly made up to go to Fort Collins
and get back before daylight. Engineer
| Post was in his element, for he was OK
! pected TO make fast time. The section
of the road between Greedy and Fort Col
\ Inns was new and rough. There were s'a
/ tionary seats on each side of the way car,
\ and few common chairs sat on the
| floor In one.half Of the car were hunks
/ for the use Of the train men, and the
\ Sheriff and the Superintendent laid
I down on these TO sleep. Post had about
rcgained his standing from his last esca
pade, and had chance to distinguish
himself in the presence of the Supcrln.
tendent but instead Of running with
express speed he turned her over for
every stroke there was in her. old 400
plunged into the night Kissing and roll
ing like a demon and a maniac in one.
The way-car rolled from side to side so
violently that it was impossible TO sit in
the chairs. Every little while the
wheels would strike the end OF some
rail that was not joined evenly,
and the car would give lurcb
which threatened TO land il
in the ditch. While the train was rush.
ing to apparent destruction, Post left
the engine and came back into the
car moment, as happy as man could
be. Somebody said something about
being turned over, and Post understood
it TO be request 70 turn her over That
suited him, and, returning to the engine.
Inc did turn her over Heavens! How
the engine and its one caT rocked and
I swaycd and lurched Yet on. faster
and faster, they flew over that dangerous
track. Suddenly the car gave heavy
lurch and there was sound like a
thud in the bunk room. The Superin.
tendcnt and the sheriff had been thrown
out Of their bunk. The former made his
. a. q L..